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The Allen County Council provided the extra cash Thursday needed to repair hidden damage discovered along the dome of the Courthouse.
The council agreed that the commissioners should tap the county’s cumulative capital fund to pay for the unexpected repairs to four steel beams just below the large dome on the clock tower. The additional repair work is estimated to cost $180,000.
About two weeks ago, workers repairing the Courthouse discovered the rusting beams as they removed crumbling mortar from between the massive limestone blocks that form the historic building.
The commissioners gave the contractors an initial go-ahead to fix the problem, knowing they would likely need to seek additional money from the council.
The damage was caused by years of moisture seeping behind the blocks. The steel is pitted, flaking and rusted, but its condition hasn’t threatened the structural integrity of the building, officials have said.
The limestone blocks will be removed, the steel treated and the blocks replaced with new mortar.
Weather has delayed stone repairs to the upper portion of the building. The work was scheduled to end in early November, but the scaffolding is now expected to come down later that month, said County Councilman Larry Brown, R-4th.
Council members agreed not to tap a $120,000 contingency fund that was set aside for the $1.3 million exterior renovation.
Repairs on the lower section of the Courthouse and on the tunnel connecting it with the City-County Building will start in the spring, and Brown said the contingency fund should probably have three times that amount.
The council agreed to provide $519,000 from the county’s general fund budget to install new digital cameras and a recording system in the Allen County Jail.
The commissioners had proposed paying for half the camera project out of the cumulative capital fund, but they needed that cash to pay for the extra Courthouse repairs, Commissioner Nelson Peters said.
Sheriff Ken Fries said the upgrade will increase the number of cameras in the jail, and the new system will store the images for 200 days – about 20 days longer than the period during which tort claims may be filed.
Fries hopes the improved system will cut down on frivolous lawsuits.
About 40 lawsuits are filed against the sheriff’s department each year, and most if not all stem from the jail, he said.
The council also approved the county’s 2010 budget. The $150 million budget provides no cost-of-living increases for employees and does not draw from the county’s rainy day fund.
The council tapped $2.7 million in cash it currently has available to help minimize the effects of shrinking revenue due to the recession.
Departments also cut planned spending to the same or less than their current 2009 budgets to account for shrinking property tax revenue from new caps on property tax bills that take effect next year.
